The Los Angeles Unified School District’s massive consulting budget – much like the district itself – is murky and of questionable value.

While district and union officials agree that the LAUSD’s allocation of some $175million in consulting deals is excessive, it’s not at all clear what figure would be appropriate.

According to school board member Tamar Galatzan, “The dollar amount is staggering.” Galatzan estimates that “there are tens of millions of dollars for contracts for things that are less important than the classroom, our kids and our teachers.”

She could well be right. But as the district prepares to confront state budget cuts that could run as high as $500million, it’s going to need more than rough estimates. Real savings begin with careful accounting.

And asking tough questions, starting with: How many of the contracts directly benefit teachers and students in the classroom, and how many are merely for redundant professional services for LAUSD administrators?

Or, how many of the consultants are paid for by grants or with restricted funds that can’t be used to balance the budget?

LAUSD Senior Deputy Superintendent Ray Cortines has requested a report on all district consulting contracts, and we can only hope that it will bring some clarity because having the district spend even a penny, let alone tens of millions of dollars, to outsource jobs that should be handled by its large and well-paid staff is unconscionable.

Not at the time when LAUSD publicly warns of teacher layoffs.

And not when the district has resorted to charging community groups to use athletic fields and playgrounds.

But murk and ambiguity are, sadly, the norm at the LAUSD, where the bureaucracy has grown so large and unwieldy that there seldom is any accountability or clear direction. Galatzan, for example, reports that the board ofte n doesn’t get to review contracts until months after they’re executed.

The process appears to be badly broken. And until it’s fixed, Angelenos can’t know for sure what they’re getting for their money. But the odds are slim that they’re getting a good deal.

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